


Father's Friend

by Yangs Sunglasses (Nilenium)



Category: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu | Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Genre: Friendship, Funerals, Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 11:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8247352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nilenium/pseuds/Yangs%20Sunglasses
Summary: Alex Caselnes didn't have to get involved in the life of his dead friend's son. But he still did.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [enmity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enmity/gifts).



> The idea for this fic was given to me by the wonderful Entrapment. I hope you will enjoy the story!

_Funerals make a strange contradiction,_ Alex Caselnes thought to himself as he attended the state funeral for the dead in yet another skirmish with the Empire. The ceremony's intended purpose was to say the last goodbye to those who passed away, but here, in the Alliance, the real intention seemed to be for the politicians to show their faces and gain extra support of bereaved families in exchange for a few crocodile tears.

This thought was a distraction from the other contradiction that was staring up at Caselnes with big, sad eyes of a small boy.

“You're Mintz's son, Julian, right?” Alex asked only for formality's sake. The orphan bore a strong resemblance to Mintz.

The boy nodded shyly.

“I'm Commander Alex Caselnes. Your father was a good friend of mine.”

Wasn't it ironic that he met young Julian, whom he had heard so much about from the boy's father, only after said father's death? If that wasn't a living proof of the funerals' proclivity for contradiction, then he didn't know what it was.

“How are you doing?” Caselnes asked.

Julian shrugged. “I... miss dad,” he said haltingly. His eyes were red-rimmed and he looked like he was doing his best to hold back the gathering tears.

“I miss him too,” Caselnes said sincerely. “He made the best tea.”

The boy nodded. He took a breath and opened his mouth to say something, but then an old woman came out of the crowd around the memorial stone and scanned the venue with a frightening scowl on her wrinkly face. Her eyes narrowed dangerously when she spotted the boy.

“Julian! Don't bother anyone and come here! We're leaving!”

“Yes, grandmother, I'm sorry!” Julian replied. “I have to go. Goodbye, Commander.” The boy bowed and hurried over to the old woman who grabbed his arm and pulled him along outside.

 _That crone is his grandmother?_ Caselnes thought, observing through the glass door how Julian cast down his eyes as the old woman presumably berated him all the way to their taxi. _I better keep an eye out for the kid. Mintz will probably thank me later whenever I see him in the underworld._

However, his resolve ended with vain promises he soon forgot all about. The life had its way of keeping him very busy, both at work and at home. His daughter was going to be born in a few months and the addition to the family meant Caselnes rarely spent his free time outside of the house, preferring to give his full and undivided attention to the little human being he'd brought into existence.

The next time he came upon the name Mintz, it was entirely by chance. For a change, he had a slower day at the office. Caselnes killed the time by reading the newspaper and he happened to look at the obituaries. The first one informed him of the death of Julian's grandmother.

A wave of guilt crashed into the man, as he belatedly remembered the young orphan with sad eyes. Did Julian have any other family to take him in? Caselnes picked up a phone and made a few calls to find out.

The boy's situation didn't look good. Julian Mintz had no living relatives on Heinessen. His grandmother's treatment, as well as the accumulated debts, took up all the money Julian could have inherited. The boy had already been brought to the orphanage where he would most likely stay until reaching the adulthood. Statistically, a child his age had the least chance of adoption.

From what information Caselnes gathered, the funeral preparations were prearranged by Mrs. Mintz herself. This led to some pointed questions—if the woman had had the presence of mind to think of her own funeral, then why hadn't she done anything to secure her grandson's future? She could have found him a guardian instead of leaving his fate to the cold, uncaring system.

Caselnes sighed and massaged his temples. He had a trip to make in a three days and a black suit to dust off.

His second meeting with Julian Mintz occurred in similar circumstances as the first one. Caselnes viewed with a stony face as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Sometimes he forgot that was the traditional method of burial. He became too used to funerals without bodies. Usually nothing remained of the dead in space battles. (Or they got a space burial, which was a low-cost alternative to transporting the bodies on the planet and less of a pain for him to deal with.)

From the few people in attendance Caselnes knew only Julian. The boy wore a serious expression, but he didn't seem sad. Rather, he had an air of resignation around him, like he'd known that this would happen eventually and made peace with his fate.

After the ceremony, Caselnes approached the boy to give his condolences.

“I'm sorry for your loss,” he said formally and shook Julian's hand. “I'm Alex Caselnes. Do you remember me, from your father's funeral?”

Julian stared at him with furrowed brow. “Um... I think so. Everything's a little blurred about that time to me... Commander, right?”

“You remembered that?” Caselnes was surprised, but pleased. “Actually, it's now Captain.”

“I'm sorry. And my congratulations for your promotion.”

“Thank you.”

With the pleasantries out of the way, an awkward silence descended on them. Julian stared at Caselnes in puzzlement, wondering what he was still doing there. The boy's lips moved without making a sound, then he finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Uh, the funeral is over now, so...”

“I didn't really come here for the funeral. I came to see you, Julian,” Caselnes said seriously. “The last time we met, I told you your father was my friend. I know you're now placed in the institution, but would you mind if I checked up on you from time to time?”

Julian blinked several times in shock.

“No, but...”

“Good,” Caselnes said firmly, signaling that the matter was settled. He pulled out a notebook and scribbled a number in it, then tore out the page and gave it to the boy. “This is my private number. If you ever need some help, you can call me. Or if you just need someone to talk. Sometimes my wife may pick it up, so don't be surprised.”

Julian's eyes were as big as platters when glanced at the piece of paper like it was a holy scripture, then tucked it safely in his wallet. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Do you have to return to the orphanage now?” Caselnes asked. The boy shook his head. “How about some lunch? I think I saw a good restaurant nearby.”

He counted this idea as a success. Julian was guarded at first, but when he got some warm food inside, he opened up a bit. Caselnes asked him about the orphanage, then mostly let him talk about whatever came to mind. He could plainly see that the kid didn't have anyone who would listen in a very long time. Caselnes gladly filled that role.

This time around Caselnes kept his promise and made regular vidcalls to the young Mintz. He even had Hortense remind him to check on the boy when things got hectic and they did, both on the front lines, which led to more work for the logistics department, and at home as in a few months the couple found out that they had another baby on the way. Throughout the next two years Caselnes steadfastly kept in touch with Julian. It wasn't even an obligation as he came to genuinely like the boy. Very rarely, he managed to visit him at the orphanage, always bringing a gift like Hortense's homemade pie or a new book.

Caselnes was out of the planet on a longer assignment on Julian's tenth birthday, but he sent his best wishes and a small present. Next year however, he decided to make his absence up to the boy and invited him over.

He would never forget Julian's expression when the boy saw the birthday cake with his name on it, written in frosting, and the eleven lit candles. Halfway through the happy birthday song he started sobbing in earnest and Hortense had to give him a hug and a huge helping of the cake to calm him down.

Later on the same evening, after Julian had left and the Caselnes couple had gone to bed, Hortense spoke up in the darkness of their bedroom.

“He's a nice boy. Very polite. He even tried to help me wash the dishes,” she said with a small laugh at the end.

“Yeah. He reminds me of his father,” her husband replied drowsily, burying his face in a soft pillow.

“We only have daughters, but if we had a son... I'd like him to be like Julian,” Hortense continued.

“Me too...” he muttered.

The covers rustled as she turned to face him abruptly.

“Alex, what if... we adopted him?”

“What? Adopted Julian?” Suddenly, he wasn't sleepy anymore.

“That's what I said. We both like him, Charlotte gets along with him too, and he's got no family. He could become part of ours. What do you think?” It looked like she had these arguments prepared for some time. Caselnes smiled tiredly and gently stroked her cheek.

“I thought about it, but with my current wages, it's impossible.”

“I'll go back to work then,” Hortense offered, but he put a finger on her lips.

“Shh, no. We have two little girls to raise. That's more than enough.”

“Then you're just going to throw Julian to the wolves?” There was indignation in her voice. She had previously spoken with Julian only a few times on the phone and met him in person that evening, and still she became so protective of him. His wife was that kind of a woman and Caselnes wouldn't want it any other way.

“It's all going to be alright. I have a plan,” he replied and kissed her forehead.

“Is it any good?” She arched her eyebrow at him.

“I have only good plans,” he said, kissing her cheek.

“That's not what I remember when you...” She would have continued, but she lost her train of thought when he took her lips with his own. And there was no more talking that night.

In two months time, just as Caselnes had expected, the new law called the Traverse Act was passed in the parliament. The war orphans were now going to be placed under the care of the Alliance soldiers. Of course, the process of choosing the people suitable for parenthood was more complicated, but that's what the logistics and personnel department had to worry about, not the politicians.

Caselnes smirked. With his newly-acquired rank of Commodore, he could pull a few strings and give Julian something this boy desperately needed—a new home. He already had a suitable person in mind, a lazy bum that needed someone responsible to keep him in check. Caselnes supposed he should feel sorry for saddling poor Julian with someone like Yang, but instead he felt like congratulating himself for the brilliant idea. He had a hunch these two would get along just fine, despite—or rather because of—their different natures.

And besides, this way he might still gain Julian as a son. A son-in-law.

Two birds in one stone, as they would say.


End file.
